The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1887-05-25

Our Harrisburg Letter.
From osr Special Correspondent
] HARRIsBuKe, May n, 1887.
The last week of the session Of the IegisIa
ture was certainly the liveliest, il not til
most important. An effort was made Mon
day evening to abolish anything like a regu
lar calendar and take M any bill which tb'
House might think OF enough importance
but this kind Of raiirosd legislation .aile,i
The regular order Of bussae~s was gon,
Through each day and night session and cal
endar and bills furnished 80 that the mem
bers might act intellgently, and it is believ
ed that there was no very bad or pcrniciou'
legislation got through ; bat on ihs contrary
much good legislation vas aor' nrG-hei in
the closing days Of the sessips,
The House len nothing r.ss.s hat could
be done TO further the Interests OF good Law
making, and while il Is mater Of regret
that The Senate did not do more than i. did
yet much go,d work was done in that body
and the future viii prove the truth of this
assertion.
| On Tuesday the whole day was spent in
acting upon Senate bills and concurring in
senate amendments and reports of Commit
tees of Conference. The report of the Com
mittee of Conference ON the Congressional
apportionment was received in the afternoon
of that day il was at once noticed that il
would meet with strong objection, as the
Philadelphia delegation were strongly OPP
posed to it. The report was called by Mr..
Packer and without discussion vote was
| taken when il was found that it received
barely the constitutional majority, l01 votes.
Much excitement prevailed, and it was at
| one time thought motion to reconsider
would be made, but il was abandoned, and
| the bill, if signed by the Governor will be-
come law. 1t leaves your district just as it
was ; gives Philadelphia the same number,
| but makes some important changes in the
| State
| The report ON the Revenue bill from the
Committee of Conference, after a very care
| full deliberation by that tcommtteee has been
! reported, exempting manufacturing corpora
tions, passed finally by large vote, there
! being few votes against it.
| The High License bill passed finally, with
a few unimportant amendments.
| On "Wednesday great number of bills
passed finally, and if they are signed by the
Governor they will become laws. But while
the Legislature seemed disposed TO rush
| things in the closing hours of the session his
| Exeellency seemed disposed 10 exercise the
more care, hence he gave notice the last
| week no more bills would be signed for that
| time, inasinuch as he desired the thirty days
allowed by the Constitution to examine into
| each bill very carefully before ii resolved his
| signature
| Both Houses remained in session all night
Wednesday and while an attempt was made
| to railroad some bad legislation through, the
better class of members did not lose their
heads, and nothing very Objectionable was
passed
The General Appropriation bill as passed
by the House, giving the common schools
an additional half million was stricken out
by the Senate Committee. This created CON
siderable dissatisfaction, and finally it was
placed in again with the proyiso that it
should only be given to those districts which
Kept their schools open for six months, and
in this form it passed the Senate, but when it
came to the House it refused to concur in the
Senates amendment by one yAte, and il went
to a Conference Committee The Committee
was unable to agree upon any terms and as
the hours passed away it was thought that
the session might be prolonged for some
days. IL was at this juncture that the fer
tile imagination and skillful tactics of Sena-
tor Cooper came in play, and by his ever
handy strategy he succeeded in extricating
the Legislature out of the difficulty, but not
without resorting TO what the Philadelphia
Press was pleased To call a travesty on legis-
lation, which was TO dig up the old SIX
months school term bill, suspend the rule
and have it passed The Committee struck
out the proviso and reported the General
Appropriation bill to the House in that form
as the reply of the Committee on Conference,
| which was adopted. BY this means the niil.-
is now law, but with the additional half
million and the relief the county will get
from the General Revenue bill passed, it is
believed that the tax will not be increased.
II was $50 in the morning when the House
adjourned until 10 ON Thursday, the day fix
ed for final adjournment. At that hour
both Houses went into session. but no iegis-
lation was done, only the rewar,iing of the
faithful officers with presents, and the Gus
| tomary speeches.
Speaker Boyer received a fine law library.
Tea sets, gold watches, etc, were given to the
other officers. The hour of II o'clock hay-
ing arrived, the Speaker declared the House
adjourned sine die.
In the Senate similar proceedings were go
ing on at the same hour, and thus ended the
session of 1887. Whether for better or for
worse, remains 10 be seen Most Of the MEM
bers left for home that afternoon and the
next morning. 4 few remaining over Sunday
among them your correspondent, who may
have something more TO say next week ON
the kind and nature of the legislation done
during the session, with some general obser-
tions PHILIP.